The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touch pads and touch screen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to manipulate user interface objects in user interfaces for multifunction devices.
For example, while using a calendar application, a user may wish to reposition a user interface object that represents a calendar entry (e.g., an appointment) from its current date/time to a new date/time. Exemplary calendar applications include iCal from Apple, Inc., Outlook from Microsoft, Inc. and Lotus Notes from IBM, Inc.
But existing methods for manipulating calendar entries are cumbersome and inefficient. For example, moving a calendar entry from one date/time to another date/time may require manually entering the new date and time in a date/time field or opening two windows where one of the windows displays the current date/time while the other window displays the new date/time. Such manipulations are tedious and create a significant cognitive burden on a user. In addition, conventional methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for electronic devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for quickly and efficiently repositioning calendar entries within a calendar application. Such methods and interfaces may complement or replace existing methods for repositioning calendar entries. Such methods and interfaces reduce the cognitive burden on a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated electronic devices, such methods and interfaces conserve power and increase the time between battery charges.